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Ecoley

Several Dominicans missing, 12 detained after boat sinks in Puerto Rico


    San Juan, Feb 2 (EFE).- Twelve Dominican migrants were detained and an undetermined number are still missing after the boat they were on sank off a beach in the northwestern Puerto Rican town of Camuy, authorities said Monday.

    U.S. Customs and Border Protection official in Puerto Rico Jeffrey Quiñones on Monday told Efe that the homemade boat was 9 meters (29.5 feet) in length and sank last Friday off the coast at Camuy.

    He said that the incident resulted in a rescue operation lasting several hours and leading to the detentions, since the boat's occupants were illegal migrants. Authorities are seeking the boat's other occupants but they have not been found so far.

    Quiñones said that the detainees, none of whom is on file as having illegally tried to enter U.S. territory before, told authorities that about 10 more people were on board the boat but they lost contact with them when the vessel sank.

    The CPB official said that it is not yet known whether the missing people drowned trying to reach the coast or managed to make it to dry land.